• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.123-132
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• 2014

This study aims to develop the diagnostic evaluation method of the riverine ecobelt for construction, conservation, and maintenance of the riverine ecobelt. The value indices in the proposed evaluation method are composed of total 5 fields and 19 elements. The 5 fields are flood control, environmental function, growth of plants, ecobelt function, and restoration potential. Flood control field is composed of total 3 elements such as length, width, and density of green area. Environmental function field is composed of 4 elements such as park use, landscape boundary and edge, microclimate control, non-point pollution control. Growth of plants field is composed of 6 elements such as species composition, forest height, stratum structure, vine plants, plant vitality, and succession of plants. Ecobelt function field is composed of 4 elements such as longitudinal connectivity, lateral connectivity, in-stream forest or habitat, roads on bank top. Restoration potential field is composed of 2 elements such as landform and land use of the immediate vicinity. The score system ranging 1~4 was adopted. The weighting parameters of elements were unified with each other. The final grade system ranging 1~5(1: very good~5: very bad) was adopted, and the final grade was evaluated by the mean values of each field. According to the test application of the diagnostic evaluation method of the riverine ecobelt, the final grades showed effectively the real condition of each site.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.19 no.3 s.53
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• pp.40-51
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• 2004

Community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates in the water system of Anyang Stream was analyzed from August, 2002 to April, 2003. Species number of benthic macroinvertebrates was 78 species, 33 families, 11 orders, 5 classes in 3 phyla. They were collected 49 species at 1st survey, 51 species at End survey and 53 species at 3rd survey, respectively. Species numbers at each tributary were 43 species at the Wanggok Stream, 44 species at the Mokgam Stream, 33 species at the Ohjeon Stream and 26 species at the Hakeu Stream, while it was only 9 species at the Dangjeong Stream. Species number of the main course of Anyang Stream was 24 species. Dominant species of benthic macroinvertebrates at the Wanggok, Ohjeon and Hakeu Stream were Baetis fuscatus, Alainites muticus, Physa acuta and chironominae sp. They were mainly intermediate and tolerant species. Dominant species and subdominant species of the Dangjeong Stream were Limnodrilus socialis, Psychoda KUa and Telmatoscopus KUa as indicator species for severe sewage pollution. Dominant species at Geumjeong-dong and KUa bridge in the main course of Anyang Stream were Physa acuta, Limodrilus gotoi, Chironominae sp., Species diversity indices at the Mokgam Stream were $high(3.53\~4.28\;range)$ and those of the Hakeu, Wanggok and Ohjeon Stream were some what high$(2.00\~3.13\;and\;2.34\~3.10\;range)$. But, species diversity indices in the Dangjeon Stream were low$(1.36\~1.70\;range)$ too. and those of the main course of Anyang Stream were low$(0.86\~1.79\;range)$ too. Species richness indices in the Wanggok and Mokgam Stream were very high$(3.55\~4.02\;and\;2.96\~5.31\;range)$ and those of Geumjeong-dong and Kia bridge in the main course of Anyang Stream were low$(0.89\~1.98\;range)$. Stream bed and riparian bank of middle reach in the Wanggok Stream were good condition and water was clean. The Mokgam Stream had various microhabitats, good water weed area, hetero geneous substrates and etc.. And, stream bed in the Hakeu Stream was in good condition. So, above streams should be continuously in good ecological condition and useful area for citizens.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.339-347
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• 2023

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a key component in the biogeochemical cycling in freshwater ecosystem. However, it has been rarely explored, particularly complex river watershed dominated by natural and anthropogenic sources, such as various effluent facility and livestock. The current research developed a new analytical method for TOC/TN (Total Organic Carbon/Total Nitrogen) stable isotope ratio, and distinguish DOM source using stable isotope value (δ¹³C-DOC) and spectroscopic indices (fluorescence index [FI] and biological index [BIX]). The TOC/TN-IR/MS analytical system was optimized and precision and accuracy were secured using two international standards (IAEA-600 Caffein, IAEA-CH-6 Sucrose). As a result of controlling the instrumental conditions to enable TOC stable isotope analysis even in low-concentration environmental samples (<1 mgC L^-1), the minimum detection limit was improved. The 12 potential DOM source were collected from watershed, which includes top-soils, groundwater, plant group (fallen leaves, riparian plants, suspended algae) and effluent group (pig and cow livestock, agricultural land, urban, industry facility, swine facility and wastewater treatment facilities). As a result of comparing characteristics between 12 sources using spectroscopic indices and δ¹³C-DOC values, it were divided into four groups according to their characteristics as a respective DOM sources. The current study established the TOC/TN stable isotope analyses system for the first time in Korea, and found that spectroscopic indices and δ¹³C-DOC are very useful tool to trace the origin of organic matter in the aquatic environments through library database.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.586-594
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• 2017

This study was carried out to identify the potential protected areas recognized by experts to conform to the international definition of protected areas for effective implementation of CBD Aichi Target-11. A policy forum of 13 experts on the protected area was formed and conducted four forums, two surveys, and examination in the context of international perspective to identify four potential protected areas including the water source protection area, riparian buffer zone, fishery resources protected area, and urban natural park area. Excluding the existing protected areas, the total size of the potential protected areas was about $5,643.9km^2$ composed of the terrestrial areas of $3,117.9km^2$ and the marine areas of $2,526km^2$. As such, we can expect the expansion of coverage of national protected areas by up to 3.11% of the terrestrial land and up to 0.67% of the terrestrial marine area. This study is meaningful in that it provides the fundamental information to achieve the national target of protected areas in response to CBD Aichi Target-11. Further research on improving the protected areas qualitatively and quantitatively and identifying and linking with other effective regional OECM are required to enhance the national protected area system.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.175-189
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• 2015

The objective of this study was to analyze characteristics of distribution of amphibian species and the affecting ecological factors. For the study, habitat environment factors were determined and applied to a habitat suitability model for the data collected from the Seom River in Hoengseong County and Wonju City, Gangwon Province, Korea between March 2013 to October 2013. The analyzed amphibian species were Rana nigromaculata, Hyla japonica, Rana dybowski, and Rana rugosa Temminck and Schlegel, and a logistic regression model was used with the pseudo-absence data. The result of the model analysis suggests that the major factors for Rana nigromaculata are distance to vegetation and rock and that for Hyla japonica is waterway. Rana dybowski and Rana rugosa Temminck and Schlegel have similar habitat characteristics, but the latter is shown to be dominant due to its wider habitat preference. According to the species richness model, the analyzed amphibian species are shown to have tendency to move between valleys or streams. This study quantitatively analyzed habitat environment characteristics using species distribution model, however, there is a limitation in terms of analysis on food factor and connectivity with other species. Combined with additional density or habitat analysis on birds or fish, this study can lead to more comprehensive analysis on biological environment factors.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.267-276
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• 2019

The Gonggeomji Reservoir is a historical irrigation facility built in the 8th century and designated as a wetland protected area by Ministry of Environment, Korea. In order to collect the baseline data necessary for developing a sustainable conservation strategy, we investigated the classification of actual vegetation, the vegetation distribution and the floristic structure of the vegetation in the Gonggeomji Wetland Protection Area. In the whole protection area, a total of 26 plant communities were classified including the wetland, riparian, grassland, forest, farmland, and orchard vegetation. According to the results of detrended correspondence analysis, the structure of wetland vegetation was mainly affected by water depth and human disturbance. In reservoir wetlands, floating vegetation such as Utricularia vulgaris var. japonica, Trapa japonica, and emergent vegetation such as Nelumbo nucifera, Typha spp. completely covered the water surface. Since 2014, the reservoir wetland has been terrestrialized with the expansion of emergent and hygrophytic plants. For the sustainable conservation and restoration of wetland protected areas, it is necessary to naturalize the topography and wetland vegetation, recovery the hydrologic system, and restore ecosystem connectivity from wetlands to forests.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.154-162
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• 2019

Lateral connectivity between the channel and the floodplains has been damaged by the levee construction and channelization in most streams of South Korea. The purpose of this study was to develop a technique for easily and remotely assessing lateral connectivity using GIS in the streams and to evaluate the effectiveness of the assessment method by applying it to Cheongmi-cheon Stream, a representative stream in the central Korean Peninsula. The metrics of the lateral connectivity assessment are composed of (1) existence of remaining wetlands and (2) land use property as a habitat quality of the former floodplain outside the levee and (3) existence of levee barrier, (4) connectivity to the stream and (5) connectivity to the upland natural habitats as a connectivity from the channel through floodplain to the upland forest. According to the result of applying the assessment method to Cheongmi-cheon Stream, the lateral connectivity was severely damaged due to the levee construction and land use change in the former floodplain. The GIS-based assessment of the lateral connectivity developed in this study is expected to be used as a useful tool for identifying limitations of current connectivity in various attempts to restore lateral connectivity in riparian ecosystems.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.258-269
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to establish a system to evaluate the ecological soundness of the Geum river basin. The study target area is 14 sub-watersheds of the Geum river basin. For the selection of indicators to ensure transparency and consistency of the evaluation indicators, the ecological soundness indicators were secured by using the indicator adjustment method derived in consideration of the intrinsic weight change characteristics between indicators. The index with the greatest impact on the final composite index was identified as the index of the aquatic ecology among the water quantity, water quality, aquatic ecology, and habitat-riparian environment dimensions. As a result of analyzing the ecological health index of the river, the watershed upstream of the dam (based on the Daecheong -dam) was evaluated to be in relatively good condition until 2014 compared to the base year(2008), and the watershed downstream of the dam was evaluated to be in a poor condition. The annual trend of changes in the ecological soundness index on an annual basis is as follows. In the case of Yongdamdam, Yongdamdamdownstream, Bocheong-chun, Daechungdam, Daechungdamdownstream, and Nonsancheon, although there are differences by time period, the soundness index is in declining. On the other hand, Mujunamdaecheon, Yeongdongcheon, and Gapcheon were evaluated to have improved soundness, while Chogang, Daechungdamupstream, Mihocheon, Gongjugeumgang, and Geumgangestuary were evaluated to deteriorate again after soundness was improved.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.140-150
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• 2023

The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is an apex predator of the riparian ecosystem. It is a keystone and an indicator species; consequently, its presence suggests a sustainable water environment. Otter is a keystone species as a predator at the top of the food web in the aquatic environment and an indicator species representing the health of the aquatic environment. Although Eurasian otters disappeared from the Han River urban water system because of anthropogenic activities like habitat destruction, poaching, and environmental pollution in the 1980s, the species were sighted in the Cheonggye Stream, Jungrang Stream, and Seongnae Stream, which are urban sections of the Han River, in 2016 and 2021. Therefore, it is pertinent to assess the habitat potential in the area for conservation and management measures to ensure its permanent presence. However, existing studies on otter habitats focused on natural rivers and reservoirs, and there is a limit to applying them to habitats artificially confined habitats in narrow spaces such as tributaries in urban areas of the Han River. This study selected the Cheonggye Stream, an artificially restored urban stream, to evaluate its potential as a habitat for Eurasian otters in urban water environments using the habitat suitability index (HSI). The HSI was calculated with selected environment attributes, such as the cover, food, and threat, that best describe the L. lutra habitat. According to the results, the confluence area of Seongbuk Stream and Cheonggye Stream and the confluence area of Cheonggye Stream and Jungnang Stream were suitable otter habitats, requiring appropriate conservation efforts. The HSI model suggests a valuable method to assess the habitat quality of Eurasian otters in urban water environments. The study is crucial as it can help rehabilitate the species' populations by identifying and managing potential Eurasian otter habitats in highly urbanized areas of the Han River basin and its tributaries.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.175-194
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• 2014

This study attempts to identify the spatial distributions of Achnanthes convergens, and elucidate the environmental factors that affect the Periphyton diatom habitat. Data in 250 points of Nakdong river basin are collected between April(primary) and September(secondary) 2012, with the National Institute of Environmental Research's support. We define "clean area" over 10% of Achnanthes convergens appearance, and the others as "non-clean areas". Spatial statistics of Kriging, Hotspot, LISA are used in this study. Results show that 1) 56 points are identified as clean areas in the primary survey, while 41 points are discovered in the following survey; 2) using water quality variables, density of turbidity(clean $101.83{\mu}s/cm$; non-clean $598.48{\mu}s/cm$) and conductivity(clean 1.95 NTU; nonclear 5.58 NTU) are five-fold lower in clean-areas; 3) Habitat and Riparian Factors in Nakdong basin illustrate that natural sand bar, diversity of velocity, sediment condition, levee material, riverside land affect Achnanthes convergens; 4) Hotspots of Achnanthes convergens are located in watersheds, including upper Andong Dam, upper Imha dam, Wi-cheon, Miryang river, Nam river and Hwang river whereas mainstream/downstream of Nakdong river and Keumho river watershed are shown as coldspots.